"We never had quite this kind of challenge," fourth-year head coach Cliff Gilmore said.

But the Bulldogs are hardly giving up. A solid group of players has moved up from a 6-4 junior varsity squad that lost all four games by a total of 20 points.

"Our kids played a lot of junior varsity games and have been successful," Gilmore said. "They just have to learn to play on a different level."

Amherst Bulldogs

Among that group are junior quarterback Brandon Gilmore, junior end Eric Ferguson and sophomore end Eric Quintana the foundation for what Cliff Gilmore hopes will be a strong passing game.

"We're going to be a little more wide open offensively," said Gilmore, whose Bulldogs rushed for nearly 3,000 yards last season while passing for 500. "Brandon has a strong arm, and those two receivers are probably as good receivers as I've had."

Ferguson had 43 catches last season for the junior varsity.

The Bulldogs will not abandon the ground game, but it may be slower to develop this season.

"We'd love to control the ball on the ground," Gilmore said. "You have a lot better chance to sustain drives and a lot less turnovers. But we realize that developing a running back is going to take some time."

Sophomore Marcus McLaughlin may be the Bulldogs' tailback. Juniors Hunter Shelley and Sheldon Ivery are also candidates at running back, and junior Justin Campbell may start at center.

Amherst will build its defense around Shelley and McLaughlin at ends and sophomore Sonny Dunn at safety.

"We should be real strong up front," Gilmore said.

Outlook

Expect more passing this season from the Bulldogs, who lost all the lettermen from a team that won nine games last year. Rebuilding the running game is a prime concern for Amherst.